(The Center Square) - The Trump administration proposed a new rule on Monday to expand fertility access options in health insurance programs.
The expanded options would operate similarly to vision or dental insurance, offering coverage to women throughout the fertility process. The rule comes as the administration has sought to expand access to in vitro fertilization across the country.
“This will hopefully reduce the number of couples who need to resort to IVF, because challenges can be identified and addressed early in the process,” President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Trump said the new benefit would reduce the cost of fertility care and allow for more children to be born in the United States.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., applauded the Trump administration’s efforts and pointed to the expansion of IVF access throughout the past year under the president. She said 28% of Alabama is in a maternal healthcare “desert,” where women are not able to regularly access medical professionals while pregnant.
“We have an opportunity now to reach those who haven’t been reached when we look at maternal mortality rates,” Britt said.
She said affordability of maternal health care is the biggest impediment to its access throughout the country. She highlighted her vote in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which expanded the child tax credit and invested $50 billion in rural healthcare infrastructure.
“We don’t want affordability or accessibility to be an impediment,” Britt said.
Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said the expansion of fertility benefits would help boost population growth in the United States. He also pointed to programs in rural areas that are helping mothers deliver babies without having to travel long distances to get to hospitals.
“You have big, sophisticated urban centers adopting smaller facilities and clinics so they can help moms deliver babies,” Oz said. “It’s such a beautiful way of keeping people healthy.”
Olivia Walton, founder of Ingeborg Investments, said the expansion of rural healthcare through the One Big Beautiful Bill will help pilot new programs to support mothers. She said the expansion of care is a bipartisan issue that Republican and Democratic lawmakers have supported.
“We are uniting business leaders with policy makers, health care providers, faith leaders,” Walton said. “Investing in maternal health is the most strategic investment we can make in the future of American prosperity.”
Trump also pointed to deals with pharmaceutical manufacturers that he said have reduced prices throughout the country. Oz said the deals with pharmaceutical companies have saved $600 billion for the United States.
“There is not an American around who should not try out TrumpRx.gov,” Oz said.
Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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